The Cardmistress
by Felilla
Summary: Alice White is not your average teenager. She is a Cardmistress that uses the three branches of Card magic to protect the innocent. However, just like there is a dark side of the cards, there is a darkness in her heart that she may not be able to overcome. Robin, however, is determined to show Alice that, like the cards, our destinies can change. Robin(Dick)xOC


**Lorisville, Indiana**

**April 14, 2003**

"Cards are uncertain, they can change course at any second," the brunette woman told her daughter softly as she shuffled a deck of playing cards. She looked at the young girl staring at her, "What are the different kinds of Cards?"

"There's the Wonderland Cards, the ones that most think are normal playing cards. Tarot Cards, used to read the future and call spirits. And..." the girl drifted off, tapping her chin thoughtfully.

"We went over this one yesterday," her mother said, her blue eyes smiling.

"The... Debadation Cards?" she tried.

The woman laughed, "Close. Devastation Cards. Can you tell me what they do?"

"Nuthin' good," the little girl replied. "They hurt the universe. Instead of channeling it's energy through the Cards, it forces the power into itself. Right?"

The mother nodded, "You will still learn how to use them though."

"But why, mama?"

"It is best to be in control of all of the Cards, even the bad ones. First, though, you must learn everything there is to know about the Cards. Which one do you want to start with?"

The girl bit her lip and looked at the three stacks. One of ordinary playing cards that could be used as Wonderland Cards, the backs painted bright red. One of Tarot Cards, hand-painted- she knew she'd have to make her own once she outgrew the Trainers-, and a stack of cards with pure black backs, the Devastation Cards. She knew she'd push the dark cards off as long as possible.

"The Wonderland Cards, mama."

The mother smiled, "They will probably be your primary Cards then. I guess it suits you well."

"Why?" she tilted her head.

"Because of your name."

"Alice? What does my name being 'Alice' have anything to do with Wonderland Cards?"

The older woman laughed, "Have I ever told you the story of Alice in Wonderland?"

"Um... No, is it funny?"

"A little odd to be sure. Wait here a moment," she stood up and walked over to the bookshelf before pulling off a dusty old volume. "Here we are."

She sat down in one of the couches and patted her lap. The little girl scrambled up and smiled at her mother. The woman smiled and opened the book. She cleared her voice and began.

"_Alice was beginning to get very tired of sitting by her sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twice she had peeped into the book her sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, 'and what is the use of a book,' thought Alice 'without pictures or conversation?'_..."

**Lorisville, Indiana**

**October 17, 2010**

"The Ace of Hearts?"

"Reveal your Truth. The Card of Truth and Justice."

"The Two of Clubs?"

Alice looked over at her mother from the book she was reading, "C'mon, Mom. I know this stuff."

The mother sighed and pushed a stray strand of brown hair away from her face, "I know, I know. How about we try some Devastation Cards?"

"Fine."

"Hades?"

"Summons the god of the Underworld."

"Very good," her mother praised. "Um, Styx?"

"Brings upon lost souls to do bidding."

The older woman nodded, "Very good, Alice. The Magician?"

Alice rolled her cornflower blue eyes, "That's a Tarot Card, Mom."

She laughed, waving a hand. "I knew that, I was just testing you," she coughed suddenly.

"Are you okay, Mom?" Alice asked, jumping up. "Do you need some water? Did you take your medicine?"

The coughing subsided and her mother sighed, "It's nothing, Alice. Just not as young as I used to be."

The young girl relaxed and sat down, "Maybe you should go lie down. I'll continue my studies for the day and wake you up for supper."

"No, I'll be fine. Your father wouldn't want me dying on you."

Alice's clenched her fist under the table. Why did her mother insist on talking about that bastard? He left when she was just two years old and she didn't expect him to come back any time soon. She closed her eyes, her mother still believed he would return someday... She was such a hopeful woman. A hopeful, misguided woman.

"Alice, honey? I'm sorry, I shouldn't of mentioned Robert."

Alice eased her eyes open to look at her worried mother. She wasn't the young woman she used to be, gray streaked her dark brown hair and her blue eyes were tired, only a small spark of life still visible in them. "No, it's fine, Mom. You still love him," she looked away, sighing softly. "I get it."

Her mother reached across the table and touched Alice's hand. "I need you to promise me something, Alice."

The pleading tone in her voice made the blonde girl look up, curious. "I need you to move on, no matter what."

"What are you talking about, Mom?"

"I need you to promise me you'll find your purpose in life, that you'll find happiness."

"Mom?"

"Promise me, Alice!" she said sternly, making her daughter jump. "Please, just promise."

Alice nodded, "I promise, Mom. What's going on?"

Her mother didn't reply. She stood up, her chair scratching against the wood floorboards of the kitchen. She adjusted her white shawl and smiled at her daughter, "I think I'll go take a nap."

As the older woman started towards the stairs, Alice jumped up. "Mom?"

She didn't look at her, "Yes?"

Warm tears drifted down Alice's pale cheeks, "I-I love you."

"I love you, too, sweetie. Do your studies now and don't forget to close up the shutters, I think a storm's coming in."

Alice nodded before wiping away her tears, but they just kept falling. She knew what was coming. She knew what the storm meant. Her mother continued upstairs just as thunder rumbled and a lightning bolt lit up the sky. She walked over to the shutters and pulled them closed. As she walked back to her chair, she looked at the upturned card on the table. _Death._

She sighed and put the card pack into her mother's pile, making sure to keep it away from her own deck. The Cards never lie. She wiped away the last of the tears drifting down her cheeks; the last of that day; the last for the next two years, but not the last of her life.

**Gotham City**

**March 18, 2012**

**22:37 EDT**

The scream rung through the air a clear as day, making Robin cringe. He still couldn't get used to that sound, no matter how often he heard it. He glanced at Batman, who stood perched next to him before the two jumped across the roof. The dropped into the alley, expecting to see a mugger attacking a defenseless girl. What they saw instead surprised them.

There was a girl, but she wasn't defenseless. In fact, she seemed to be handling the mugger_s_ quite well. She spun around them and dropped to the ground. Her leg caught on one of the mugger's legs and tripped him. The moment he fell, the girl jumped back up and delivered three precise jabs to one of the other's mugger's abdomen. When the last one pulled out a gun, she stopped. "Are you going to shoot that gun?" she asked, her voice surprisingly melodious. She didn't even sound out of breath.

The man hesitated and she saw it. She stepped forward and in one swift motion grabbed his wrist of the hand holding the gun and flipped him over her arm. She used that momentum to yank the gun out of his hand and held it in her hand carefully. The muggers stared up at her and she sighed, "I was kind of hoping for a challenge. Oh, I know you're there, by the way."

It took Robin a moment to realize she was talking about them. Reluctantly, he and Batman stepped out of the shadows. Now that he had a better angle, he could see her more clearly. She had long blonde hair that seemed a little curly pulled up into two pigtails and cornflower blue eyes. Her skin was pale, but not disgustingly, more like a porcelain color and very light freckles dotted the bridge of her nose. She was lean and muscular, but not to the point of being bulky and about his height, maybe a little shorter. She was dressed in a pair of powder blue shorts that reached mid-thigh and a beige tank top with a black hoodie. Her legs were covered with a pair of thick white tights and she wore a pair of black combat boots. All in all, she was pretty cute.

"Why'd you scream if you could handle it?" Batman asked her.

She shrugged, "Had to get you here somehow. Can't let them get away."

He narrowed his eyes at her, though she wouldn't be able to tell. "You could have called the police," Robin supplied.

"Ah," she said. "Now I see the problem. First of all, in about three minutes they will try to disappear."

She motioned to the three guys looking between her and the two vigilantes, but when her hand finished the motion of her wave, there was a playing card in her hand. She twirled the card, "I won't let that happen. Two of Spades, Trap Card."

The card vanished as golden chains suddenly wound themselves around the muggers. They darkened to black and the muggers tried to move, but the chains wouldn't budge. Robin blinked blankly at the muggers then at her. "Secondly," the girl trilled. "I wanted to meet you. Batman and Robin! The masked heroes of Gotham."

Robin raised an eyebrow at her while Batman asked, "Why'd you want to meet us?"

She shrugged, "No reason, really. Oh, but I have to warn you that someone is going to break into Star Labs here in Gotham tomorrow."

"And how do you know this?" Batman questioned further.

She giggled then smirked, "The Cards never lie. Now, I have to go."

"Oh no you don't," the bat grabbed her arm.

She pouted, "But I'll be late for work and I need to make rent this month."

"Make rent... How old are you?"

"Fifteen," she recited.

"You're making your parent's rent at the age of fifteen?"

She looked at him like he was crazy, "What? No, I live by myself. Could you let go of me?"

"You live by yourself?" Robin asked, stepping closer.

"Uh, yeah... Didn't I just say that?" she rolled her eyes.

"You're not even old enough to be emancipated!" the Boy Wonder exclaimed.

She looked down at the ground. "Don't need to be emancipated if you don't have any parents," she muttered, but bot Batman and Robin heard her.

She yanked her arm out of Batman's hand as his grip loosened. She rubbed the spot, "Geez, you've got a good grip. Look, Bats, Birdie, I really need to go. I just wanted to warn you about Star Labs, so you could do... Something about it. So, see you," she took a step when Batman grabbed her again. "Yippee! More questions."

It was then that Batman noticed how thin her arm was, how fragile it seemed. "When was the last time you had a decent meal?" he asked her sternly.

She flinched a little at that. Without looking at him, she answered, "Wednesday. I had a bowl of chicken soup down at the soup kitchen..."

Robin couldn't help but be surprised. A fifteen year old eating at a soup kitchen? She bit her lip, "I help out there sometimes and Wednesday was the day that we eat whatever's left over, so..."

The two vigilantes looked at each other. She hadn't even gone there to eat? She went to help? "What's your name?" Batman questioned, his voice a little gentler than before.

"Alice," she looked up at him. "Alice White."

"You must be hungry, Miss White. Let's get you something to eat."

"But, Batman," Robin argued. "We're in costume and nearly all of the restaurants in town are closed."

"We'll just have to take her somewhere else then," Batman said.

Robin's eyes widened, "You don't mean..."

"Yes, we're going to have to bring Miss White to the Cave."

Alice was impossibly quiet during the whole ride and despite the fact she was wearing a blindfold, she still stared out the window. "So," Robin started while waiting in the car for Batman to return to the cave. "Where are you from?"

She looked directly at him. She was probably following the sound of his voice, but it still unnerved him. "I'm from Indiana. May I ask why you kidnapped me?"

"We didn't kidnap you, we just took incentive."

She chuckled, "Sure... I really didn't need your _incentive, _I can get by on my own."

"Your last meal was four days ago!" he exclaimed. "You call starving yourself getting by?"

"I don't starve myself," she retorted. "He asked when my last _decent_ meal was. I still eat what food I can afford while still paying for rent."

Robin snorted, "Yeah, and you are _so_ healthy because of that."

She scowled at him, "Look, if you're going to be so impossibly rude about my living style because not everyone can stuff their faces as much as they want, then I'll just leave."

He smirked, though he knew she couldn't see it, "I'd like to see you try."

She held up a playing card and he wondered where it had come from. "This is the Seven of Spades, otherwise known as the Escape Card."

"What are you babbling on about?"

She leaned back, "You know those muggers and the chains that 'magically' appeared on them?"

"Yeah?"

She was about to say something else when Batman opened the door and led her out of the car. He sat her down at a table and removed her blindfold. The first thing she saw was a plate of roast beef, mashed potatoes, and carrots sitting in front of her. She didn't want to admit it, but looking at the food made her very hungry. She glanced at Batman, who moved over to sit in the seat across from her. He gave her a small nod and she grabbed the fork, plopping some potatoes in her mouth.

"So, Miss White..."

She glanced at him, humming. "How'd you make those chains appear on those muggers?"

She swallowed her food, "I was wondering when you were going to ask that. I'm a Cardmistress. Do you know what that is?"

He blinked at her, "I've heard of a few Cardmasters, but never one so young."

Robin settled down in one of the other chairs, "Um, what's a Cardmaster?"

"A Cardmaster, or Cardmistress in Miss White's case, is a person who uses Cards to use magic."

"To put it simply," Alice added. "It's much more complicated than just that. There are four different kinds of Cards."

She swiped her hand over the table and three decks of cards appeared. One normal deck of playing cards, a deck of cards with black backs, and purple and gold painted cards. "Normal playing cards can be transformed into Wonderland Cards," she explained, picking up the deck and shuffling the cards. "Each suit represents something different. Spades are defensive, Clubs are offensive, Hearts are emotion, and Diamonds are illusion. And each specific Card does something different. Wonderland Cards are my main Cards."

"Next," she continued as the cards vanished from her hands and she replaced them with the purple and gold cards. "Are Tarot Cards. I'm sure you've heard fo them. Tarot Cards are usually used to tell the future, but they can also summon spirits. For example, the Magician Card will summon a sorcerer or sorceress."

"And last are the Devastation Cards," she grabbed the black deck. "They are evil and only cause pain to the opponent. I never use them."

Robin nodded, he understood it a little better now. Batman leaned back in his chair, "So the Card you used?"

"The Two of Spades, the Trap Card," she held up the card she mentioned. "It's one I use frequently. The more I use the Cards, the more powerful they become. My most powerful Wonderland Card is the Ace of Spades."

"What does that do?" Robin asked eagerly. Zatanna had always been reluctant to teach the Team about the mystic arts, so he was interested to learn more about another kind of magic.

"The Ace of Spades," she spun the Two of Spades around and showed the front to them again, only it had become the Ace of Spades. "Heals injuries. It's the card of Remedy. I use it on sick people in hospitals and at soup kitchens a lot."

Batman nodded, "Okay. Finish eating and I'll have Agent A set up a cot for you to sleep here tonight."

She pouted, but nodded anyways. Batman and Robin stood up and walked away. "What are we going to do with her?" Robin asked, once they were out of earshot. "We can't just throw her back out on the streets. She could die at this rate."

Batman nodded, "She did warn us about Star Labs."

"How'd she know about that anyways?"

The older man shrugged, "She does have Tarot Cards, maybe they predicted it for her."

"You're believing her about that whole card thing?"

"I've met a few Cardmasters before. Tomorrow, we'll bring her to Mount Justice and have Zatanna verify if she has any magical ability. If she does, then we'll just have to trust her."

"And if she doesn't?"

He glanced at his adoptive son, "We'll cross that bridge when we come to it. Go to sleep, Dick. You have school tomorrow."


End file.
